Friendzoned
by Sophia Hawkins
Summary: AU. Something is happening between Matt Casey and Sylvie Brett, and everyone at 51 has taken notice of it, except Kelly Severide. But is the truth what everyone thinks it is?
1. Chapter 1

Friendzoned

Kelly Severide had just left his quarters with an incident report in hand ready to turn in, and was on his way to Boden's office when he heard voices traveling down the corridor.

"So how long do you think it'll be before something actually happens?"

"How do you know it hasn't already?"

"No way, I got $20 in the pool they'll be sleeping together within a month."

"How're we going to know if they do?"

"Oh we'll know, people in this firehouse couldn't keep that secret if their lives depended on it."

Curiously, Kelly followed the sound of the voices and saw it was some of Herrmann's guys off truck.

"Hey Severide, you in on this pool yet?"

"About what?" he asked.

"About when Casey and Brett are gonna sleep together."

Kelly stood there for a few seconds with no change whatsoever to the expression on his face, then suddenly his eyebrows jumped halfway up his forehead and his eyes bugged out and he asked, "What?"

"So far the best odds are anywhere between two weeks and a month, I like a long shot, I'm got $50 that says they'll last till May before they hit the sheets."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kelly asked them.

"Oh come on, Kelly, don't pretend you haven't noticed."

"Noticed what?"

"Where have you been? You haven't noticed how much Casey's hanging on Brett all the time? Hell she's the first person he goes to for anything around here anymore, it's just a matter of time before they sleep together."

Kelly knew he had to have a look on his face by now like that of a deer in headlights, but he couldn't comprehend what they were saying. The question remained, where the hell had he been if everybody else had seen this going on and he hadn't even noticed?

Casey and Brett? It didn't make any sense. What could the two of them even...well, he knew better than to ask that question. 51 had more than its share of in-house hookups, 90% of which were disasters waiting to happen from the word go, but it was an age old fact they were bound to happen when two people worked together, especially in a field like theirs, and each could appreciate what they faced every day on the job. It was a lot easier than trying to explain it to someone out-of-house who wasn't well acquainted with the Fire/EMS world. But Casey and Brett? It just didn't click. What was going on? When had _that_ started? And how had he missed it?

He left the conversation without adding anymore to it than he already had and went to turn his report in to Boden, and then try to figure out what was going on. On the way he came to a sudden stop when he saw Casey and Sylvie talking in the common room. Their voices were too low for him to make out anything they were saying but he wasn't oblivious to how close they were standing next to each other. Whatever was going on it did _not_ look like a professional relationship related conversation. He saw Sylvie's eyes light up at something Matt said and she was gesturing as she said something that roughly sounded like she was agreeing with what Casey was saying.

Kelly felt like his head was going to explode. He quickly left the area and kept on his way to find the Chief.

* * *

Kelly was already awake but the sound of Casey moaning in pain got his attention and he left the bedroom to see what was going on.

"Casey? What's wrong?"

Casey was half sprawled over the couch and slow to get up, he reached his hands to the back of his head and told the Squad lieutenant, "Oh God, the back of my head feels like it's gonna pop."

Kelly stepped over to the couch, "What happened?"

"I don't know, it was hurting when I went to bed last night, I thought it'd be normal when I got up, it's just worse now," Casey said.

Kelly carefully placed his hands on the back of Casey's head and felt his way down Matt's neck and to his shoulders. There was tension, but he couldn't find a pulled muscle.

"You probably pinched a nerve," Kelly said, "Can you turn your neck?"

"Ow," Casey said for answer when he turned it to the left, then again to the right.

Kelly grabbed his arm and told him, "Okay, come on, get up, let's see if something _does_ need to pop."

Casey groaned and grumbled as Kelly subjected him to a series of exercises swinging his arms all the way around one at a time and then reaching behind his back, turning and rolling his neck in every direction, several times Casey jerked and said something near his shoulder felt like popping, but nothing worked.

"Okay, stay here, I'll get you some ibuprofen and the ice pack," Kelly told him.

"Like I'm going anywhere," Casey said as he sat back on the couch, then he realized, "Oh crap, we have to be on shift in an hour."

"I'll call Boden and tell him you can't make it," Kelly said as he returned with a pill bottle, a glass of water and an ice pack wrapped in a dish towel, "There's no way you can go in like that today."

"Who're you telling?" Casey groaned as he took the pills and drank them down.

"Come on, lay back down and put this behind your head," Kelly told him as he handed Matt the ice pack.

Casey groaned as his head touched the pillow, but after a few seconds he adjusted to the cold and seemed content to lay there for the rest of the day.

"Do you need me to stay home with you?" Kelly asked.

Casey forgot the pain momentarily and tried to shake his head, he groaned, "No, that's fine, you head in, I'll be fine."

"I'll get started on breakfast," Kelly told him.

* * *

Severide took Casey's plate to the kitchen and Matt lay back down on the couch, everything in the back of his neck feeling half frozen from the ice pack, but not cold to the point of blissful numbness yet.

"So Case," Kelly said as he reentered the living room, "I know it's none of my business but can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, sure, what is it?" Casey asked as he scooted around to get comfortable.

"You and Brett, when did you two become a thing?"

Casey looked at him and hardly missing a beat, with a look of complete oblivion on his face, said in response, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, Casey, everybody at 51 knows about it," Kelly said, "everybody's already betting on when you two are gonna sleep together."

Casey's eyes bugged out and he got out a loud and determined, "WHAT?" as he forgot his situation and tried to sit up in one movement, and only got halfway before a pained groan escaped him and he fell back against the pillow. "They're _what_?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kelly wanted to know, "When did this even happen?"

"Kelly, I don't have any idea what the hell you're talking about," Casey told him as he tried to sit up again, slower this time.

"Matt, it's the worst kept secret at the firehouse," Kelly said, "everybody knows, everybody's seen you two together."

"Oka-a-ay?" Casey asked in a confused tone, "And the point is?"

"Every shift, Matt," Kelly pointed out, "you had to know people would notice something like that."

"Kelly," Casey slowly got to his feet and it took him a couple tries but he finally stood straight and faced Severide, "I don't know what's gotten to everybody at 51, but there is nothing going on between me and Brett. How could you even think such a thing?"

"I saw you two together last shift, it didn't look like nothing to me," Kelly told him.

Casey rolled his eyes as any words escaped him, he opened his mouth but nothing came out, finally he shook his head and said to Kelly, "You are seriously reaching on this."

"Then explain it to me," Kelly said.

"Kelly, _ow_," Casey grabbed the back of his neck as he moved it wrong, he looked at Severide and said to him, "Kelly, think for a minute, can you actually imagine what it would be like sleeping with Brett?"

Instead of actually trying to picture that, Severide's automatic response was a disgusted, "Oh God no."

"There you go," Casey said in a knowing tone as he feebly tried to roll his neck, "It'd be like trying to picture your own sister."

Kelly's eyes widened and he blinked several times as if trying to push that idea as far away as possible, "Yeah...but if you're not sleeping with her-"

"I'm not doing _anything_ with her," Casey replied determinedly.

"But you _have_ been going to see her every shift," Kelly said.

"Yes," Casey answered, "As a friend, Kelly, that's it. I need to get somebody's opinion, she's there, I don't already know what she's likely to say so she's a good option for an unbiased opinion. It works, Kelly, it's not awkward, there's no issue of rank that would be present if I talked to one of my guys on Truck, and it would be too awkward to try asking the opinion of anybody on Squad, and you can forget Herrmann's guys on Engine. Brett's the only option, it works because she's a paramedic and we have no direct working relationship, that's all it is."

Kelly slowly took that explanation in and mulled it over. As he did, Casey started rotating his arm backwards again to see if anything would pop his neck back into place. There was a sudden noise as he yelped and reached his other hand over towards his right collarbone.

"It didn't pop," he commented, "it _jerked_."

"Is it better now?" Kelly asked.

Casey tested the waters by turning his head one way, then the other, "Yeah, I think so. So, has everything been cleared up?"

"But why Brett?" Kelly wanted to know.

"Sometimes I need a woman's opinion and it's too awkward to ask Kidd," Casey told him. "Besides..."

Kelly looked at him as the blonde man suddenly looked to the side, "Besides what, Matt?"

Casey looked back at him and explained, "I already got burned once hooking up with a paramedic, I'm not going to make that mistake again, but...I need a friend, Kelly, I need somebody I can talk to, somebody who's going to hear me out without judging me...and that used to be you-"

Kelly did a double take, "What do you mean _used_ to be?"

"Kelly, you have to have noticed," Casey said almost in disbelief, "Between everything going on with you and Stella, and _now_ she's going to be moving in soon, and your transfer to OFI, and then coming back to 51, between everything that's been going on, I haven't been able to come to you about anything...when was the last time we even had a cigar on the apparatus floor? Do you remember? I do, 3 months ago. I'm all alone here, Kelly, and I don't like it."

Severide felt like somebody had just punched him in the gut with a sledge hammer. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"How could I? Why _would_ I? You have your own life, you have your own stuff you're dealing with, if you didn't even notice what was going on it's obvious you don't have time for me anymore," Casey told him. "And that's fine, you know? Life changes, things change, people change...we're getting older, nothing stays the same. In fact..." he looked around the room, "Stella's moving in soon...won't be too long before you two get married, you don't need a third wheel around here to kill the mood...I think it's time I moved out and got my own place."

Kelly couldn't believe he was actually hearing this, _any_ of it. He didn't even know what to say. There was nothing he could say that could excuse his behavior over the past few months, the fact he hadn't even been aware of anything that was going on proved that Casey was right.

"I'm sorry, Casey, I really didn't realize what was going on," Kelly told him, not knowing what else to say.

Casey shrugged dismissively, "It just happened, life changes. I can accept it, but the shifts are too long to be there all day without a friend to talk to...besides, I've...never really had a friend that was just a woman, that I _wasn't_ romantically involved with...I figured this might be a good time to start, and a good candidate, Brett's nice enough but there could _never_ be anything between us. Besides...she really needs a friend right now as well."

Kelly's eyes narrowed to inquisitive slits, "What do you mean?"

"She used to be able to talk to Cruz, now he's marrying Chloe and he's not available anymore, and she used to do stuff with Foster and Kidd, and now Kidd hasn't been around much the past few weeks either."

"How do you know that?" Kelly asked.

"Because Brett told me." A small, wry, hollow smile formed on Casey's face as he said almost matter-of-factly, "We found common ground in that the friends we used to have, just aren't there anymore."

Kelly felt the turmoil running through his body going from bad to worse. How the hell had things gotten this bad and he hadn't even noticed?

"Casey, I'm sorry, I don't know what to say."

Casey shook his head, "There's nothing to say, it's just time for me to move on...and move out...it's been great staying here, but it's been over a year, I _should_ be able to get back on my feet now."

Kelly couldn't help asking, "Where would you go?"

Casey shook his head again, "There are plenty of apartments for rent in this city, I'll find a place...thank you for letting me stay here this long."

Kelly felt like the biggest idiot who ever lived as he just stood in the middle of the room and let Casey walk past him and out of the living room, but there wasn't a single thing he could say after the damage he'd unknowingly done that could fix this. There had to be something he could do, but what?


	2. Chapter 2

After the next shift, Kelly was gone most of the day running errands and didn't get back to the apartment until the evening He walked in and found Casey packing his stuff that was spread out over the couch in the living room. If Casey heard the Squad lieutenant enter the living room, he made no sign of it. Kelly walked up behind him and said out of the blue, "I don't want you moving out."

Casey paused, but didn't turn around, he responded as he kept packing, "You are not going to want me around once Stella moves in and gets settled."

"Don't tell me what I'm thinking," Kelly sniped.

"How about I tell you what Kidd's thinking?" Casey straightened his back and turned to face Kelly, "She is not going to want me here while you two are still in the honeymoon stage."

"Stella's not going to care that you're here," Severide told him.

"No, she's not going to _admit_ that to you or in front of me, there's a difference," Casey replied, then turned back to his stuff, "It's better that I move out."

Kelly knew this wasn't going to be easy, no matter what he did, but he wasn't taking no for an answer.

"You're not moving out," he stated, as if he actually had the power to make that happen.

Casey turned and looked at Kelly with mild interest, "You can't stop me."

"Want a bet?"

Casey snorted, and turned back to what he was doing. He was oblivious to the fact Severide was stepping closer towards him and quickly closing the gap between them, until...

Casey yelped as he was pushed face down on the couch and he had Severide's whole body weight pressing against him. He tried to get loose but Kelly was too heavy.

"What the hell?" he yelled as he struggled to get loose, but Kelly's weight pinned him in place, but that didn't stop Casey from struggling underneath him, "Dammit Severide, get your fat ass off of me."

"Shut up," Kelly replied as he bounced on his knees to further press his weight down into Casey's back for good measure, drawing a pained yell out of the man beneath him. Kelly couldn't resist smirking at Casey's misery as the blonde man struggled underneath him moaning and yelling the entire time.

"Kelly?" The door opened and Stella was halfway in when she got an eyeful of the sight before her. "Whoa! Sorry, as you were," she said as she quickly backed out and pulled the door shut behind her.

"Stella, get back in here," Kelly called as he kept Casey pinned under him.

The door opened just enough for Stella to slowly stick her head halfway in and asked uncertainly, "You sure?"

"Yeah, come on in," Kelly answered as he took his weight off Casey and got up, allowing Casey the chance to roll over on his back and sigh in relief at not having the lieutenant crush him.

"Okay," Stella said, still not sounding entirely convinced.

"I want to get something settled right now," Kelly told both of them as Casey slowly got to his feet and Stella entered the living room. "Stella-"

"Don't," Casey started to say.

"You shut up," Kelly told him. Casey surprised him by actually closing his mouth. Kelly turned to Kidd and asked her, "Do you have a problem with Casey being here?"

Stella looked at the two of them with a vexed look on her face and took a stabbing guess, "I think...this is a conversation that doesn't actually concern me..."

"I told you," Casey said.

"Shut up," Kelly repeated. He looked at Stella again and told her, "Stella, just tell him the truth."

Kidd opened her mouth hesitantly, and after a couple pauses said to Severide, "Can I...see you, _outside_ for a moment?"

"Anything you have to say you can say in front of Casey," Kelly said.

"Uh, believe me," she replied, "I need to talk to you outside for a minute."

* * *

"What's going on?" Kelly wanted to know.

"I don't think that what's going on here is about the two of us," Stella told him, "It could just be Casey's ready to get his own place."

"Then why wouldn't he just say so?"

"Oh, because _you're_ always so open about everything, right?" she asked.

"Has Brett said anything to you?" Kelly asked.

Stella furrowed her brows together and squinted her eyes for a second, "Brett? What's she got to do with anything?"

"You mean you didn't know either?" Kelly asked.

"Know about what?" Stella asked. After a hesitant pause she told Kelly, "I...haven't actually talked to her much for...a few weeks now."

Kelly looked at her and it took a few seconds for him to realize what she was saying, and suddenly he felt like he'd gotten hit by a truck. "Casey was right."

"About what?"

Kelly brought her up to speed on the conversation he'd had with Casey before last shift.

"I was hoping he was wrong," Kelly said, "I was hoping there was some way he was making this bigger than it actually was...how...how'd I miss this?"

"Time gets away from us," Stella shook her head, "it happens, to everybody."

"This shouldn't have happened," Kelly told her, "We've been friends for 20 years, how did I not see this?"

"I get it, it sucks," Stella agreed, "but...sometimes that's just life."

Kelly shook his head, "That's not an answer, it can't be."

"Then what's the alternative?" she asked.

"I don't know," he responded hopelessly.

"Oh-"

The small voice drew both their attention and they turned and saw Sylvie standing at the top of the stairs with a shopping bag clutched in her hand. The blonde woman looked from one firefighter to the other, as if gauging if she'd interrupted something.

"Sorry, is this a bad time?" she asked.

Kelly sighed, "No." He nodded towards the door, forcing himself to be civil all the while wanting to blame Brett personally for what was happening, even though he knew it wasn't her fault, "Go right on in."

"O-o-o-okay, thanks," the blonde woman replied as she stepped past them and entered the apartment. Kelly waited until the door was shut to pick up where they left off, keeping his voice lower so the two blonde people inside didn't hear them.

"I don't like this, Stella," Kelly told her.

"I know you don't," she responded, "but it's Matt's decision, there's nothing you can do about it."

"There has to be something," he said.

"What's the worst that can happen if he moves out?" she asked. "You guys lived apart before, he survived."

"That was different," Kelly insisted.

"How?" she asked.

"That was..." Kelly stopped, suddenly unable to finish the thought. Stella looked at him curiously, waiting for the full answer, silently nudging him. "That was before he was nearly murdered in his own home."

Stella blinked, then slowly nodded. "You want him here to keep an eye on him."

"I know he's safe here," Kelly said defensively.

"He's a grown man, he doesn't need a keeper," Stella pointed out, "he knows how to take care of himself."

"He did the last time too and he still could've burnt to death in his apartment," Kelly pointed out.

"The odds of that happening again are very slim, Kelly," Kidd mentioned.

He looked at her for a few seconds before reluctantly admitting, "I know..." His eyes moved to look to the side wall, "I haven't had to worry about him since he moved in, he's right here, I know what's going on, I can _see_ what's going on, I know he's alright."

"He'll be alright, Kelly," Stella told him. "You can't be scared to let him leave the nest if this is what he wants to do."

He looked back at her and asked, "What if it's not what he wants to do? What if he's just moving out because he thinks he _has_ to?"

"Why would he do that?" she asked.

"Because you're moving in," Kelly answered.

Stella raised one eyebrow inquisitively, "Ohhhh-kay, and the connection is?"

"He said you wouldn't want him around, and you wouldn't admit it to either of us," Severide told her.

She looked at him for a minute as she pursed her lips together. "Honestly? Not how I'd have planned it if I had my pick. But I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere, and Casey knows that."

"Then why won't he stay?" Kelly asked cluelessly.

"Uh, no offense, alright?" Stella said, "but maybe he feels held back here...maybe he wants his own life and a place to live it, _and_ a place with an actual bedroom if he meets a woman he wants to bring home."

Kelly automatically squinted his eyes shut and his whole face grimaced as a very unwanted image popped into his head of Casey and Brett.

Then he remembered the blonde paramedic was in his apartment with Casey right now.

"Oh God," Kelly groaned, "What do you think they're doing in there?"

Stella noted the door was ajar and commented, "I think we're safe. Let's go see."

Kidd just barely set foot in the door with Severide right behind her when a sudden "SURPRISE!" gave them both a jolt and they knocked into each other.

"What the hell's going on?" Kelly demanded to know as his eyes were able to focus and he saw the two blondes in the living room by the couch and saw Sylvie holding a cake.

Sylvie answered, "Well we couldn't very well let Stella move in without a little housewarming party."

Stella made a confused face and pointed out, "I'm not moving in until next week."

"That's where the _surprise_ part comes in," Brett answered, "we were trying to figure some way to pull it off without you knowing."

"We? You mean, you two?" Stella asked. She squinted one eye at Casey and asked him, "You were in on this too?"

"That's where it started," Casey explained. "Nothing stays a secret at 51, everybody knows that, so the only way to make sure this didn't leak out, was to give everybody at the firehouse something else to talk about."

"Which at the same time made it _very_ easy to plan everything without anybody finding out," Sylvie added, then rolled her eyes as she explained, "In fact, everybody else just got the message about the party six hours ago, so expect a stampede of firefighters to show up any minute for the party."

"I don't get it," Kelly said, and stepped to the front and asked the two blondes, "That's what's been going on this whole time?"

The Truck captain and the paramedic glanced at each other for a second before Brett told them, "Ever since Stella announced she was moving in anyway."

Stella opened her mouth and tried to say something a few times but only a bunch of jumbled sounds came out before finally, "I'm confused, you actually planned this...for me?"

"Well this is a big occasion," Casey answered, "we had to do _something_."

From the street they heard the sound of several cars pulling up and doors slamming.

"Here comes the stampede," Sylvie commented.

* * *

"So you were jerking our chains this whole time?" Foster asked Brett.

Sylvie rolled her eyes and told her partner, "I didn't do anything, I _told_ you there wasn't anything between us."

"Yeah, but that's not the body language you were putting out," Foster replied.

"What body language?"

Foster did a double take, "Guy enters the room and you about swallow your tongue."

"I told you, I swallowed wrong," Sylvie said.

"Ugh" Foster threw her head back in frustration.

A few yards away in the living room, Ritter stopped and asked Casey, "So there was _never_ anything going on between you and Brett?"

"I never said that was," Casey pointed out.

"Yeah, I know, it's just..." whatever it was, Ritter didn't finish the thought and instead told Casey, "I'm going to stop right there before I say something I regret."

Casey nodded knowingly, "Wise choice."

A few feet away from them, Cruz and Chloe were talking to Severide and Stella.

"This is going to be great for you two, Stella," Chloe said, "I know I can't wait for our wedding day so we can move in together."

Cruz lightly chuckled and added, "It would make the rent a little easier to figure out."

Stella half choked on a laugh and replied, "Yeah well...that part's still not on the agenda yet..." she turned to Kelly and asked, "Is it?"

He merely shrugged and remarked, "Say the word, I'm good to go."

* * *

An hour later the party was starting to wind down but few people were leaving yet, though while nobody was looking, Casey and Brett slipped out into the hall.

"Well, we actually pulled it off," Sylvie was still in amaze of this fact.

"Mm-hmm," Casey nodded as they walked over towards the elevator.

"Thanks for helping, Matt."

"No problem," Casey said as he shoved his hands in his pockets, "though when I get back I need to clear the air with Severide. The other day he started asking some questions and so he wouldn't start putting two and two together I said some things I probably shouldn't have. I figured the best way to make sure he didn't figure it out was to put him on the defensive."

"You two are still talking, right?" Sylvie asked.

"For now," Casey replied as he reached over and hit the button to bring the elevator up.

"So..." Sylvie turned to him, "I guess now we go back to ignoring each other on a regular basis, right?"

"I guess so," Casey let out a small laugh. "Almost too bad though, it was kind of fun letting everybody's imaginations run away with them."

"Yeah," Brett nodded, "It's not so bad being the subject of the firehouse rumor mill when you actually _start_ the rumor. You were right, you said Stella would never figure it out."

"I told you."

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Sylvie got in, but before she hit the button to go down she turned to Casey, "Matt...if I ever need to talk to someone, can I call you?"

He shrugged, "Sure."

"I have a confession to make," Sylvie said, "I love what I do and I love being part of 51, but it _is_ a bit intimidating being one of only _three_ women in the whole firehouse...and I love Foster and Kidd, I really do...but I really miss what I had with Cruz and Otis when we were all roommates. At different points we all thought there could've been something between us...but, it didn't work out that way, and it was fine, I just loved what we had as roommates and friends...it feels like a lifetime ago, before Cruz got engaged to Chloe, before..._everything_ happened, _everything_ changed...it all changed too quick, and I don't like it."

"I get it, believe me, I do," Casey told her.

And he had a good feeling that Kelly got it too.


	3. Chapter 3

"Kelly...Kelly..._hey Kelly are you awake_?"

"Ya-aaah!" Kelly shot up in bed and opened his eyes, it took a few seconds to actually register with him that the room was dark and Casey was hovering over him on the bed.

"What's going on?" he asked dazedly.

"Can we talk?" Casey asked.

Kelly was frazzled by the sudden wakeup call and turned his head to make sure Stella wasn't in bed with him, then he remembered that she'd gone home after the party had let out.

"Sure," he slowly answered as he scooted over to the other side of the bed.

Casey climbed in beside him and pulled the covers up. He lay alongside Kelly, who stared up at the ceiling and wouldn't look at him.

"You're not still mad at me, are you?" Casey asked.

"I wasn't mad," Kelly answered defensively.

"I told you everything," Casey said, "I told you why I did it."

"Yeah, but you actually meant the things you said, didn't you?" Kelly replied.

Casey sighed, "I didn't mean to hurt you...I just wanted you to back off so you wouldn't find out what was really going on, I figured if I pissed you off you'd avoid me like the plague, as usual, and everything would be clear until the party."

"But you _meant_ what you said," Kelly said. He still wouldn't look at Casey, but he added, "I feel like an idiot that I never realized what was going on, but you were right. Between everything that's happened the past few months, I haven't been around as much, I'm sorry."

"I know," Casey said, "but it's not your fault, it just happened, that's the truth of it...that's the only part that was really true, everything's changing, we're all changing, our lives are changing, nothing stays the same."

"Yeah, and you're _really_ moving out," Kelly replied dejectedly.

"This was never supposed to be a permanent arrangement, Kelly," Casey pointed out.

"It wasn't a problem," Kelly told him. He continued to stare up at the ceiling and added, "I didn't think it was anyway...if you're so anxious to leave I must've been a lousy friend if I couldn't even see what was happening."

Casey softly smiled, "Kelly, I'm not moving out because I hate you, I'm moving out because I care too much about you and Kidd to interfere."

"You make it sound like an ultimatum," Kelly said, "Like I have to choose between the two of you."

"Yeah?" Casey shrugged, "That's usually how it works. Once the relationship becomes serious, everybody else takes the backseat. That's the way it always is."

"I don't want it to," Kelly told him. "I don't want everything changing, not that much."

Casey reached over and absently raked his fingers through Kelly's hair and over his scalp. "Kelly, you had to know this day was coming sometime."

"I did...I just tried not to think about it," Severide responded.

Casey almost laughed. "Exactly how long did you think I'd be staying here?"

"I don't know...I just, kind of thought...like, forever?"

Casey slammed his head against the pillow, trying not to laugh.

"When're you leaving?" Kelly asked.

Casey looked at him and answered, "I found a place for rent, I'll be moving in next week."

"Why so soon?"

"I figured it'd be easier if I move out a couple days before Kidd moves in, make the transition a little easier," Casey answered. "It's just 12 blocks away, Kelly, it's not that far."

"But it's not _here_," Severide responded, well aware of the whine in his voice and not caring how he sounded, "I don't want you to leave...but I don't want you staying here if you don't want to be here."

Casey smiled at him, "Kelly, I've loved it here, you took me in when I had nowhere else to go and nobody else would help me...you have no idea what that means to me."

"Yeah, I do," Kelly looked at him, "because you did the same thing for me."

Casey nodded as he remembered. "And when you decided it was time to move out, did I try to talk you out of it?"

"Yes," Kelly answered.

"You're right, I did...but you insisted," Casey said, "you knew when the time was right...I think the time's right for me now."

Kelly turned on his side facing away from Casey. Matt clapped a hand on Kelly's back and told him, "You and Stella will be so busy you won't even have time to notice I've gon-"

He felt something in Kelly's muscles under his hand, but he couldn't quite place it. He was also aware of a sound in the night air that didn't belong. He held his breath and waited to see if he could figure out what it was, after a few seconds he realized the sounds were Kelly's breathing. His breaths were slow and stretched out, trying to sound like his regular breathing, but it wasn't, _something_ was different that Casey couldn't pinpoint right away, but he listened, and he realized what it was. A small shaky sound in every breath, and they gradually became more noticeable, longer, and louder.

"Kelly?" Casey's hand trailed up his back, "Kelly, what is it?"

Reluctantly, Kelly turned over, there was just enough light coming in the window from the streetlamp outside that Casey could see a tear streaking down the side of Severide's face.

Any restraint Kelly had been holding onto fell away and his voice broke as he opened his mouth and told Casey, "I don't want you to go."

It was so random and unexpected that Casey almost laughed, in truth he had no idea how to respond to that.

"Kelly-"

He couldn't figure out what to say, he pulled Severide against him in a tight hug and felt the vibrations from Kelly's chest as he cried.

"Why do you have to leave?" Kelly weakly asked as he clung to Matt.

"It's just time for me to do this, Kelly," Casey explained, "I'm only going to be 5 minutes away, we'll still see each other all the time."

"But it won't be the same," Kelly tearfully replied.

Casey lightly nodded in agreement but said in response, "But, maybe it'll be better this way."

Kelly's whole body spasmed against Casey's as he choked on a sob. Casey still couldn't figure out why this was affecting Kelly so hard, but it hurt him to hear his best friend crying, even more so to know he was the cause of it. He felt tears building up in his own eyes but his voice stayed strong and calm as he raised one hand to the back of Severide's head and assured him, "Kelly, it's going to be alright."

"No it's not," Severide argued, sounding very much like a small child and either not aware of this or not caring that he did. After a minute or so he finally managed to form the next words, "How-how am I gonna know if you're alright?"

"What're you talking about?" Casey asked.

"Wh-what if something happens again and I'm not there?" Kelly asked. "L-like when those bastards torched your apartment or...when Jack Nesbitt killed Katya and kidnapped you? You-you-you were safe h-ere...I _knew_ you were safe...w-what's going to happen now?"

Casey's eyes widened in surprise, "Is that what this is about?"

"I didn't have to worry about you here because I knew you were safe...how am I gonna know you're okay when you're gone? I can't stand the thought of getting a phone call from the cops saying something happened and you didn't make it," Kelly admitted.

In spite of the whole situation Casey still felt a laugh somewhere in him threatening to cut loose. It never dawned on him that any of this was going through Kelly's head. He'd figured that Kelly wouldn't be 100% on board with his decision to move out and there would be a small argument about him staying, but he never would've thought it'd be anything as bad as this.

"Kelly, I'm..." he shook his head, the words weren't coming to him, "I appreciate your concern..."

"I love you."

Casey's eyes widened in the dark.

It was so rare, after he'd found out that Renee had cheated on him during their engagement, that Kelly ever used that word with anyone, with the women he slept with, with his best friend. Casey _knew_ that Kelly had said it to him at some time in the 20 years they'd known each other, but he couldn't remember when or where. It caught him off guard now, that's when he knew just how serious this was.

"I love you too, Kelly," he told the distraught man, "I'm not moving out because of anything you did, I'm doing it because you and Stella need to be by yourselves, you deserve it."

He felt Kelly's head press in the crook between his neck and shoulder and felt the tremors that accompanied the hiccuping sob forcing its way out of him. Casey still felt very confused by what was going on, but he rubbed Kelly's back assuredly and softly told the Squad lieutenant, "It's going to be alright, Kelly, everything's going to work out."

* * *

When Casey woke up the next morning he found a literal weight on his chest that prevented him from getting up, that being Kelly's head pressed against one side of his chest as the dark haired man obliviously slept. Matt wasn't sure what time it was when Kelly finally wore himself out from crying and fell asleep, but he knew it wasn't long enough to be waking him up now, but it _was_ the time they regularly got up and started the day.

He raised the arm that wasn't pinned under Severide and tapped the sleeping lieutenant on the shoulder, and watched as Kelly moved but didn't stir yet, Casey poked him again, this time he turned over and his eyelids started fluttering.

"Hey," Matt said as he waited for Kelly to wake up, "You okay?"

"Hmm?" Kelly grumbled as he opened his eyes and looked around. It took a few seconds but he finally seemed to click on where he was and what had happened, he let out a small groan in remembrance.

Casey ran his hand through Kelly's short graying hair and asked again, "You alright?"

Kelly groaned again and answered as he got up, "Yeah, I guess so...sorry about last night."

"You can't help what you're feeling," Matt pointed out as he also got out of bed, "but I wish you would've told me sooner."

Kelly turned and looked at him, "I know how it sounds to say this...but the whole thing just sounded so stupid, I didn't plan to tell you any of it."

"Well I'm glad you did," Casey told him, "I had no idea you were so worried about me."

"Seriously?" Kelly replied. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't worry? You were nearly killed in your own home twice, and now you're getting your own place and I'm not going to be there to-"

Kelly stopped himself before the last words came out, but Casey could guess all the same what they were. He closed the distance between the two of them and said to Kelly, "I'm flattered that you think it's your job to protect me, Kelly, but I'm going to be okay." He could tell by the look on Kelly's face that he wasn't entirely convinced. Casey couldn't resist adding in a slightly patronizing tone, like a child humoring his parents, "I _promise_ to call every night and let you know how I'm doing, okay?"

He'd thought Kelly would laugh it off, but the Squad lieutenant looked at him as if he was seriously considering it.

"I don't want you to leave, Casey," he said reluctantly, "But I know I can't force you to stay here either."

"It won't be that bad, Kelly," Casey stepped over to him, "It's a nice apartment, it's on the ground floor so if anything happens I can get out quick, if I have to I can break a window and hit the ground running, trust me, I've given this a lot of thought and I'm making sure the place I move in is as safe as possible. I also made sure it was somewhere close by so we can visit regularly."

A small laugh got past Kelly's lips as half of his mouth turned up in a small smile.

"I just...I hate to see you go, I've loved having you here."

"I've loved being here," Casey said, "but it was only supposed to be temporary, you and Kidd are starting a new chapter in your lives, you don't need me intruding on it."

"And you?" Kelly asked. "Are you starting a new chapter?"

Casey looked at him and paused before answering, "I guess you could say that."

"With Brett?"

Casey scowled at him, "I told you-"

"I know, I'm sorry, I was just, curious," Kelly said.

Casey shook his head, "I'm starting this chapter alone."

He didn't miss the look in Kelly's eyes when he said that.

"It'll be fine, Kelly," Casey told him, "I've loved being here but honestly I think I need to learn how to live on my own again."

"You know you're welcome here at any time," Kelly said.

Casey nodded, "I know, and I appreciate it."


	4. Chapter 4

Casey looked around the quiet apartment, he knew he had everything packed that he'd accumulated since his apartment burnt down, but he'd feel like an idiot if he actually forgot something. He double checked and was sure he had everything in his two bags, and as he looked around at the living room half striped blinding gold from the sun rising outside and pouring in the window, he realized there wasn't any point in dragging his feet anymore and it was time to get going.

He heard the bolt turn in the bedroom door and looked as it opened and Kelly slowly exited, already dressed for the day.

"For a while there I thought you weren't going to get up today," Casey commented.

Kelly sighed, "I thought about it."

He made eye contact with Casey but the Truck captain could tell by looking in Severide's eyes that he wouldn't be able to maintain the contact for too long before his emotions got the better of him.

"But I didn't want to miss you before you left," he added.

Casey smirked at that. He could appreciate how hard this was for Kelly to hold everything together, and he hated to make it any harder on the Squad lieutenant than it already was. He closed the gap between them and hugged Severide.

"I'm gonna miss you, Case."

"I know," Matt replied, "I love you, Kelly."

"I know," he remarked, "I love you too."

Casey couldn't help beaming at that, as long as he lived he didn't think he'd ever get used to it, but it was nice to hear when it actually happened. He pulled back from the embrace and saw the tears starting to build in Kelly's eyes despite his attempt to smile and act like everything was normal. Casey smiled as he cupped his hands on the sides of Kelly's face and brushed the tears away with his thumbs as they started to trail down Severide's face.

"It's gonna work out, Kelly, you'll see."

"I know...I'm still gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you too," Casey told him, "but it'll be fine."

He hoped anyway. He still hadn't gotten over the shock how hard Kelly was taking this, but he knew he was just delaying the inevitable if he didn't leave now.

* * *

Kelly lay awake in his bed that night anxiously drumming his fingers against his chest as he looked around the dark room. The clock on the nightstand said it was 12:45 A.M., but he wasn't paying it much attention. He'd talked to Casey a couple hours after he'd moved into his new apartment. That was over 12 hours ago and it was the last time he'd talked to Matt. A dozen times that afternoon he picked up his phone and started to dial Matt's number or started to send him a text, then stopped himself, and resigned himself to the fact Casey moved out to put some space between them, he couldn't horn in on him now. No matter how much it was driving him up the wall not knowing what was going on with Casey, not having any contact with him.

On the nightstand his phone pinged with an incoming text. Kelly jumped at the sound and looked at the phone as if it might jump up and bite him. He reached over and grabbed it and saw it was a text from Casey.

It was short and to the point:

I'm fine. Go to sleep.

Kelly tiredly chuckled as he set the phone back on the nightstand and relaxed against the pillows.

* * *

Kelly groggily stumbled into the kitchen and started the coffee maker and was very slowly coming around for the morning. As he took stuff out of the refrigerator to start breakfast, his phone pinged again. He reached in his pocket, took it out and saw a picture had come through of Casey holding his phone as he took a selfie of himself in the kitchen cooking breakfast. Kelly smiled at the picture and a small laugh came out.

Then his phone was snatched away as Stella entered the kitchen. "Gimme that. Ahhh, so that's who's getting all your undivided attention each morning, maybe there _was_ something to that night I walked in on you riding Casey like a pig."

Severide busted out laughing and jokingly elbowed her, "I was not."

"I don't know," she said teasingly, "I might have something to worry about."

Kelly laughed and grabbed his phone back from her. "Give me that."

Stella smiled at him but her expression became slightly more somber as she asked him, "So this...this does something for you?"

Severide looked at his phone and at the picture of Casey and answered, "Yeah...yeah, it does."

She didn't respond, but slowly nodded and merely conceded, "Okay."

* * *

Casey was jerked awake by the sound of somebody pounding on a door. He opened his eyes and looked around the bedroom and realized the banging was coming from the front door. The red digital numbers on the clock said it was 12:50. What the hell?

"Kelly?" he kicked the covers back and made his way through the apartment, turning on lights as he went. He'd sent Kelly a text before going to bed, Severide knew he was okay, what'd he want now?

The knocking persisted as Casey made his way to the living room, "Kelly?"

"Lemme in," a slurred voice called. It wasn't Kelly.

Casey blinked. "Brett?"

The knocking was slightly weaker now as Casey undid the locks on the door and threw it open. Sylvie stood on the other side of the door, her arms out to the sides and gripping the door frame to keep her balance, her appearance was slightly disheveled and it was his educated guess she'd been drinking, heavily.

"He-e-ey, Matt," she said, "Can I come in?"

"What's going on, Brett? Is something wrong?" Casey asked.

It took the paramedic a couple seconds to process his question, she stood a little straighter and tried to insist, "No...no, nutthin's wrong...I jus...I..." she sputtered for a few seconds before she stopped, and looked at Casey with somber eyes and said with slight hesitance, "Foster's out on a date, and Cruz is out with Chloe...and I just can't be in that big empty apartment tonight...can I stay here, please?"

Matt sighed. He wasn't unsympathetic to what Brett was going through but he sure hadn't seen this one coming.

"Yeah, sure," he held the door open, "come on in."

"Thanks, Matt, you 'ave..._no_ idea how mush I re'lly appresiat th...thi..." Sylvie turned and just about fell off the stoop as she doubled over to vomit.

Casey rolled his eyes upward to face the ceiling and dryly commented, "This is gonna be fun."

He waited until Brett had shifted to dry heaving to bring her inside. Kelly had been the only one to see his new place, so he directed Sylvie over to the bathroom so she could freshen up. She came out a few minutes later with her hair fixed, her face washed and some color back in her cheeks.

"Thanks, Matt," she said, "I'm sorry about the mess."

"Don't worry about it," he replied as he led her to the living room, "Are _you_ alright?"

"Yeah...yeah," she tried to sound convincing, "I jus...I hate the way things are now...I'm happy for Joe, and I'm happy for whatever Foster's doing...but I just miss the way it was when it was me and Cruz and Otis there...you know?"

Casey nodded, "I know...I think Severide's going through something similar right now."

"What do you mean?"

"Can I show you something?" Casey picked up his phone.

He sat down beside Sylvie on the couch and showed her the series of messages and photos he'd sent Severide since the move.

"He has to hear from me at night or he won't go to sleep," Casey said, "and he has to _see_ that I made it through the night without being kidnapped or murdered, even the days we're going on shift in an hour."

Brett weakly laughed as she looked at the pictures, "Oh wow...I mean, I knew you guys were close but...I don't know, I thought nothing ever bothered Kelly."

"You and me both," Casey replied, "Least of all I never saw this coming. I thought he'd be thrilled I was moving out and he and Kidd can have some privacy."

Casey just about jumped out of his skin at the sudden outburst beside him as Sylvie broke out sobbing. Casey's eyes were open to their maximum capacity. "What's wrong?"

Sylvie ran the back of her hand under her nose and said, "That's what's gonna happen when Joe marries Chloe, they're not gonna want me around."

Casey didn't know what to say, but he thought the silence might be worse.

"I don't think that'll happen, Brett."

"They won't say it," she replied, "I know how Joe is, he'd never deliberately say something to be hurtful, but it's true. When they get married, they won't want me there getting in their way." She folded her hands on her knees, hung her head and cried, "I feel so alone. If I had anyone to stay with, I wouldn't have come here...but there wasn't anyone else I could go to."

Casey was _definitely_ nothing if not sympathetic, but he still didn't have any idea what to say to her.

"Well, I still don't think that'll happen, but if it does, you could always stay here." The blonde woman slowly turned her head to look at him. "I mean until you found another place, it's not much but..."

Sylvie's eyes were barely half open now as she asked him, slurring some of her words, "Can'I jus'stay here t'night?

He nodded. "Sure."

He could tell she wouldn't be awake much longer, so he got up from the couch and helped Brett lie down, draped the quilt on the back of the couch over her, and put a wastebasket on the floor right by the couch incase there were any repeat performances of what she'd done out on the stoop.

"You okay?" he asked.

Sylvie's eyes were closed and she hummed contentedly in her throat and just barely got out the words, "Yes, thank you."

Casey nodded before turning and heading to his bedroom.

* * *

Casey was in the process of getting dressed the next morning when he heard a knock at the door. He hastily finished buttoning his shirt and headed out to the living room and went to the door. Unlocking it, he saw Severide standing on the other side.

"What's going on?" he asked. He hadn't even sent his usual morning picture to Severide yet, so he couldn't figure out why Kelly had come over so early.

"There were a couple things I wanted to talk to you about before shift, and I thought it'd be easier to do in person," Kelly started to say, then stopped, and Casey saw his eyes widen as he looked at something past Casey in the room. Matt turned around and saw Sylvie still passed out on the couch tangled in the quilt. Casey turned back to Severide and shot him a warning look that said it all, 'Don't even start'. He flashed back to what happened with Heather Darden and he was in no mood for a repeat of that.

Kelly took the hint and quickly dropped whatever he was going to say. "None of my business."

"No, it's not," Casey told him, and added, "But it's also not what you think."

Brett moaned and hummed as she rolled over onto her side, it sounded like she was actually trying to form words. Both firemen went over to her to see what was going on.

"What is it, Brett?"

Sylvie groaned as she slowly opened her eyes and said, "Oh man...how much did I drink last night? Where..." she tilted her head back and saw the men standing over her, "Hey Casey...where...how'd I get here?"

That made Casey think of something, he turned to Kelly and asked him, "Is her car out there?"

Kelly shook his head. Casey turned back to the woman on the couch, who for some reason had pulled the quilt over her head and was bunched up inside of it like a large worm, and asked her, "Brett, how'd you get here last night?"

"I dunno," the muffled response came as the giant worm rolled over on the couch, "I dunno where I am _now_."

The two men looked at each other and Kelly commented, "I'll start the coffee."

* * *

"Sounds like Brett had a rough night," Kelly said as he poured three cups after Casey finished recapping the events of the previous night to him.

"That's putting it mildly," Casey replied as he took a sip of his.

Severide put his lips on the rim of his mug but didn't drink it yet. Hesitantly he added, "And I guess...you can relate."

Casey stopped, and looked at him, and slightly nodded, "I guess you could say that."

"Casey..."

Matt shook his head, "Don't apologize...everything that's happened was just supposed to happen, that's all there is to it."

"That's a cop-out, Matt."

"Well I choose to believe it," Casey replied, "everything's happening for a reason, I'm meant to be here, you and Kidd are meant to be together alone."

"And Brett?" Kelly asked.

Casey pursed his lips together and thought about it, "Well...let's just say she might be a frequent flier here. And get that thought out of your head."

Kelly chuckled.

"It doesn't say much when I'm the only one she can turn to right now," Casey said.

Severide murmured and shrugged, "Beats the alternative, at least she knows she's got one friend in her corner."

Matt nodded, "I guess that's saying something."

A/N: I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this story or not, so for now it's just going to be left in limbo.


End file.
